Marrakech & Fez or Beirut & Damascus in the spring
 

Any opinions? I've visited Marrakech a few years ago (was in Granda this past fall) and am very interested in going back to Morocco however Beirut and Damascus seem very unfamiliar and alluring. Damascus is said to be the oldest city in the world. Beirut was (possibly still is?) the Paris of the East - and I hear the food in Lebanon is amazing. Beirut and Damascus for me is so far off the map which makes it attractive while Morocco is a bit more familiar and is an incredible country. Help!

www.imperialcities.com best for me by far...

More historic beautiful scenic touristic and lots safer...

Spring is the perfect time to go B4 it gets too hot.

Syria particularly also Lebanon

have lots of safety issues these days

Review consular advisories...lots of risk

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1035.html

Happy Journey,

I recently visited Syria on a 3wk mideast trip in Sept. and loved it. Damascus and Aleppo are fascinating cities with the same type of riad hotels(but called Beit), friendly people and great food! There is also Palmyra, Krak des Chevaliers and many other historical sights to visit. The public transport is not great so hiring a car/driver is best but Syria is a gem of a destination-loved it much more than Jordan. Oman was also worthwhile.

Really, I wouldn't worry about the security situation in Lebanon and Syria! Ignore that alarmist US web site and check the UK, Canadian and Australian equivalents. There were loads of European tourists there last year, and hardly any Americans. I think the Europeans have it right. Amazing number of good sites in Syria, and Beirut is cool.